Do You Go To The Cat Scratch Club?
by WontYouLightMyCandle
Summary: My own little imaganing of how Roger may have met April...yeah the summery sucks. Pre-warned set in the Cat Scatch but nothing really explicit, April ISN'T a dancer there, she works behind the bar. Rateing for language and 'cos it's Rent. Please R&R!


**Don't own Rent…never will blah, blah, blah…**

**Rating for the fact it's the Cat Scratch Club and Roger and Aprils potty mouths**

**PLEASE R&R!!!**

* * *

Roger was bored – An odd and ironic statement considering he was sitting in a strip club with around ten friends and acquaintances at a bachelor party, not his, he would be hasty to add.

The watched the party members and then glanced up on the stage, yeah the woman were beautiful and very sexy but the only one he gave a second glace to was a Latina girl who couldn't have been more then seventeen years old, much to young for him. The other guys seemed to be having fun and he didn't want to bring down the party mood.

To be completely honest he hated the Cat Scratch. There was something really weird about perving on young women dancing round poles, well not really…it was the other customers who got to him. Elderly men perving on girls young enough to be their daughters and in some scary cases granddaughters.

He thought wistfully about the guitar stashed back at the loft, he'd rather be home finishing that song he was working on…hell even working in that grotty bar was better then this.

"Getting drinks," He murmured, although no one was listening, too occupied with the other dancers handcuffing the Latina girl to a chair.

He made his way to the bar trying no to make eye contact with any of the customers.

At the back of the Cat Scratch there was a small bar with five or six girls working back there. The girls seemed to be in full sprit of the club and were dressed – Roger hated the word trashy but in this case it was the only way he could think to describe the cheap, tacky bar maids. Most of which looked like they should be up on stage rather then behind the bar. Roger took a small table. It's not that he wanted to be on his own…well yeah he did. He just…really wasn't in the mood for any of this.

Meanwhile behind the bar almost every barmaid was staring at Roger at his solitary table and there was a small fight about which girl was going to go take his order.

While this squabble was going on a small, red headed waitress picked up a pen and a pad. She wasn't going to especially to take Rogers order after all if he was in the club at all he was probably a pervert like all the others. She worked her way around the tables, taking orders and tried to look the other way while they eyed her up. She eventually made her way over to Rogers table.

She coughed slightly to get his attention but he was on a different planet.

"Um…sir…"

Roger jumped lightly and looked at her. "Yeah…"

"What you drinkin'?" The waitress smiled. So he was a pervert…but that didn't stop him from being a very cute pervert.

"Beer" Roger replied not caring much. The girl took a note and left. Roger watched her go; she was dressed the most modestly out of everyone here. Grey long sleeved top, black waistcoat and a pair of black shorts that showed off her slender, shapely legs. Roger mentally noted she had a really cute butt – not that he was staring…he just noticed.

The girl went back and started fixing the drinks, when she was turned on by a brunette, wearing a top exposing a little too much cleavage then was appropriate.

"April…how come you got to talk to the hottie at table twelve?"

"I didn't exactly talk to him Lucy. I asked for his order, he told me, I left, it was hardly riveting."

"Sure that's what you always say"

"Look if he'd here he's probably just staring at girls in bikinis and massaging his crotch. I'm looking for a guy with more on his mind then sex" April replied sharply putting ice-cubes in table eights cola.

"Well _I_ might just talk to him"

"Oh fuck off" April wanted to throw the drink over her, but managed to stop herself.

She piled the drinks on a tray and made her way round handing them out, thinking about her solitary single state. She was almost at Roger table and was passing a tall drink of something to a large man in his late forties, then she felt his hand on her leg making it's way up and towards her shorts.

Roger watched disgusted. He got up, shaking slightly. He was appalled. Yeah Roger had had many girlfriends and the odd one-night-stand but in his mind you shouldn't _ever _do _that_.

April looked down at the hand. She quickly moved all the drinks off the tray, picked it up and brought it down so hard on the mans head it snapped in two. As soon as the noise hit the air the manager was out, grabbing the man by the scruff of the neck.

"What part of our 'Look but don't touch' policy don't you get buddy." He growled into the mans fat face. He let him go "apologize"

The man looked at the manager, then at April who was red with fury and embarrassment.

"Apo-lo-gize" the manager said more forcibly.

The man muttered a hasty apology and then was promptly thrown out of the club.

"You ok April…"

She shrugged.

"If you wanna take the rest of the night off…"

"No way Kyle I need the money" She snapped grabbing a tray that another barmaid passed her. She started pilling the drinks on the new tray. She got to Rogers table last.

"One beer" she said brightly but it didn't translate into her eyes. She made to go but Roger stood up and gently took her arm to get her attention.

"You Ok?"

April was getting annoyed at everyone asking, "I'm fine…I have to handle folk like him all the time, besides your probably just being nice to me to get inside my pants like every other guy in this city."

She pulled away and headed up to the bar again.

Roger watched her go, he sighed. He walked up to the bar instantly feeling every pair of feminine eyes lock onto him. He lent casually on the bar and he didn't even have time to blink before a woman was in front of him.

"H-hey…um…can I um…take your um…" She blushed completely tongue-tied.

After about ten or twelve years of this kind of reactions from woman Roger was very much used to it, he turned on that irresistible smile of his which really didn't help the poor barmaid.

"I'm looking for a small red headed woman, she works here… She ran off without her tip" He held up a dollar bill to demonstrate.

The barmaid looked visibly disappointed "Oh you mean April?"

"I think that was her name" He smiled completely charming her.

"You've just missed her…she's out on a brake…but um…" she blushed slightly "I could pass it on for you, of course I'd have to get your number first" she smiled at him. "Company policy"

Inwardly Roger rolled his eyes but on the outside he kept nice and calm.

"Um…can I see her…It's kinda important" Roger imitating a look of deep concern.

"Well…we don't usually…" The girl stammered.

"Please…It'll be our_ little _secret" Roger winked at her.

"OK then" she let him back behind the bar and indicated to a fire exit "she's out there"

April was alone. Her head hurt and the day just really wasn't going her way. She sighed lit up a cigarette and inhaled deeply, blowing a long plume of smoke into the night air, she looked around to see no one was there and she started blowing little smoke rings for her amusement.

"Very impressive" Roger grinned at her leaning against the doorframe.

April sighed exasperated "Oh what do you want? Your not even meant to be out here"

"Someone let me in…or out as it would be."

"Just…go…" She said not in the mood to add a fight with a guy twice her size and a hell of a lot stronger then her to the list.

"I will…just…you OK?"

April looked at him in amazement "Does it look like I'm OK mister?"

"Mister?" Roger chuckled he'd never once been referred to as mister.

April ignored him and took another drag from her cigarette, and wondered why life couldn't be simpler.

Roger looked at her, she looked really sad. He crouched next to her.

"Look I didn't mean to intrude…"

"Well to say you didn't mean it your doing a pretty good job." April snapped at him.

"Just…listen…I could see in your face that you weren't OK after what the bastard tried to do to you…did you know him…"

"Kinda…he…he knows my dad…through work…" April shuddered slightly.

"Sick bastard" Roger muttered.

"I'll get over it, I always do."

"Happens a lot?"

"Look where I work…of course it does. Men who can't get laid wanting to grab some young girls ass"

"Hey" Roger nudged her slightly grinning, "I could get laid if I tried!"

"Oh sure Mr Arrogant!"

"Yeah…had at least three that would have jumped into my bed without even asking my name"

"Does it help that most of the girls are sluts?"  
"Probably"

April's mouth twitched.

"Is that…" Roger held her face in his hand "Is that a smile I see?"

"I don't even know you?" April sighed pulling away a little.

"I'm Roger" he introduced "..and now you do…and your" he waved his "physic hands" around making funny noises "It's a month….April"

She laughed clapping her hands together "very good…" there was a pause "who told you my name…"

"Barmaid" he shrugged.

"So…Roger…. why are you so interested in me?"

"It helps you didn't throw yourself at me."

"Like I would…"

"Your thinking about it." He raised an eyebrow.

"NO!?!" April cried _– liar, liar pants on fire._

Roger laughed "Liar!"

"Ok then mister hot shot, if you can get laid so easily why aren't you getting your own private strip show?"

"I'm with a Stag party."

"Your getting married?" April couldn't help but look disappointed.

"No…not me…my friend Benny. Quite a funny story, never been to a strip joint in his life bless. The new missus probably won't like but ah fuck that she's got years to get over it."

April laughed.

"Look…let me take you out sometime…. I haven't got much cash but I know a few nice little places."

"What like your bedroom?"

"No." He laughed "That comes later…I force you to wait first" he winked.

"Don't hold your breath…I usually make men wait so long they think they'll never get laid again….I want to see if they want more then just sex…but…I'll let you _try _and survive…" She took a small scrap of paper out of her pocket and a pen from the other and wrote something down. "So if you want something worth waiting for…" She slipped the paper into his pocket "let me know huh?"

Roger raised his eyebrows "Your very, very good."

"I know" She winked at him and stood up "I'd best get back…" She grinned "see you later Rover" she teased. Roger cottoned on to the game

"Bye Alice" He reached into his pocket and pulled out her number "A heart above the 'i' that's cute."

"So are you…" She stuck her tongue out at him and walked away with the feeling that things were going to start looking up.

"Hey Roger" Roger looked up at the sound of his name. Mark and Collins were supporting Benny who looked so drunk he couldn't even stand upright.

"Lets get him home before he pukes" Mark shouted.

Too late, before Mark and Collins could move Benny promptly threw up on their shoes.

"Nice…" Collins added looking pretty grossed out he passed Benny to over to one of the other stags and went over to Roger giving his vomit soaked shoes a disproving glance.

"So bitch what happened to you?"

"Met a chick"

"Another one?"

"Nah…not like that…this one has more substance, we might have a future…"  
"Boy your high?!" Collins laughed ruffling his hair like Roger was four.

He laughed the others may scoff but April and him…well lets just say he had a good feeling about that.


End file.
